Unlocking the Mystery of the FLOG

by Marcia Anziano

Tips for getting the most out of the USMS fitness logs

What is a FLOG?

You’ve probably been hearing the word FLOG lately. It’s a funny word, FLOG. Actually, to me it sounds a bit dangerous. But have no fear, FLOG is an acronym for Fitness Log. But what exactly is a Fitness Log? Well, it’s one of the benefits our members get as part of the MyUSMS section of the U.S. Masters Swimming website. That’s right, it’s a benefit. This became clear to me last weekend when I asked a friend if she had set up her FLOG, and she replied, “What’s a FLOG?” When I told her it was a Fitness Log that you can maintain for yourself on the USMS website, she was thrilled. She had just put Fitness Log on her Christmas wish list.

This was perfect. I needed to write a tutorial for the Fitness Education Committee to share with participants in the Go the Distance fitness event. So here was my opportunity. My friend and I sat down at the computer and I walked her through the process. We set up a logon for MyUSMS, initialized the MyUSMS area, set up the Fitness Log and organized the preferences. And that was it. She was ready to go.

You can use the FLOG to keep track of all sorts of activities, not just swimming. You can track walking, weights, running, Pilates, cycling, spinning, yoga, and there’s also an “other” section for anything else you might want to add. You can even have multiple workouts for each day. It’s all tracked automatically.

FLOGs are also a benefit to the Fitness Education Committee since they are the source of input to the popular Go the Distance program. In the past, volunteers had to read through hundreds of emails each month and enter the information into a database for tracking the distance of each participant. Now the participants can track their own workouts using the FLOGs. If they choose to participate in Go the Distance, the data is picked up on a monthly basis.

I have to admit, at first I was only entering my monthly totals for Go the Distance into the FLOG because I had my own traditional way of keeping track of workouts. But as I spent more and more time on the FLOG, I decided to use it on a daily basis. Now I’m hooked. I love seeing the icons and the distance and time I’ve spent, and see the running totals at the bottom. I even know how many hours I spend walking my dog each month. Now that’s a benefit!

So check out the Fitness Logs. I think you’ll find them helpful and fun to use.